Tea Idioms - BBC Learning English "The Teacher"

It's not my cup of tea.

I wouldn't do it for all the tea in China.

It's as good as a chocolate teapot.


Hello, I’m a very interesting and intelligent man. And today, this tea and I will teach you some idioms in English.
I bet you’ve never been taught by some tea before.
I love tea. Of course I do, I’m an Englishman.
What’s this? It isn't my cup of tea!
In English, if there’s something we don’t like very much for example a sport or a type of music, we can say ‘it's not my cup of tea’.
It’s not my cup of tea.
Please turn that down. Jazz really isn’t my cup of tea.
And now…
Time for a geography lesson. China is an extremely large country.
Can you imagine how much tea there is in China?
A lot.
Now, lucky you. Today I’m going to do anything at all that you ask. So, come on…
Well, I wouldn’t do that for all the tea in China.
In English, if there is something we would never do, we can say ‘I wouldn’t do it for all the tea in China’.
I wouldn’t do it for all the tea in China.
It means there is nothing, not even something worth a great deal that could persuade you. I can’t believe you asked me to…to do that.
Tea is hot. Well, apart from iced tea.
And where do we make tea? That’s right. In a teapot.
So, as tea is very hot, what do you think is a good material for a teapot?
Porcelain yes, glass yes, metal ok, chocolate… NO!
A chocolate teapot would be completely useless.
In English, if something is completely useless, we can say ‘it’s as good as a chocolate teapot’. It’s as good as a chocolate teapot.
What’s that you say? You say these lessons are as good as a chocolate teapot? I don’t know. I work so hard for you and no-one seems to understand me. Quite sad really.